Bone screws have typically been used to directly compress osteosynthesis plates onto a bone in order to align and stabilize a bone fracture. In this utilization, bone screws are not fixed rigidly to the bone plate, and the resulting frictional force between the plate and the bone is solely responsible for the stability of the osteosynthesis construct. Loosening of the screws in the bone or a resorption of the bone may thus easily lead to a loss of stability.
To avoid such loosening, and for the purpose of improving vascularity in a manner that minimizes damage to the bone surface, means for rigid locking of bone screws in a bone plate and elevated fixation of a bone plate over the bone surface have been introduced. For example, in one prior implementation, a positive-locking system between the screw and plate is effectuated by means of a bone plate with conical plate holes. The conical plate holes provide a rigid connection between the plate and the fixation screws, even after the screw-bone interface has loosened. In another prior implementation, a positive-locking system is effectuated by fitting screw holes in the plate with inside threads. These threaded holes accept bone screws fitted with a second threaded portion which is widened compared to the conventional threaded screw shank segment, to facilitate engagement with the inside thread of the plate hole. These positive-locking screws are designed to be threaded into the first bone surface underlying the plate, or into both the first and second bone surface of a quasi-cylindrical bone cross-section underlying the plate.
While these positive-locking osteosynthesis constructs provide superior stability, their stiffness may pose increased stress to the screw-bone interface. This has introduced failure modes, in which the bone resorbs or fractures adjacent to the outermost screw in the plate, since this screw absorbs the majority of the stress as the load is transferred from the bone to the plate.
Furthermore, the stiffness of the fixation construct suppresses small motion at the fracture site, which otherwise may be beneficial for fracture healing by inducing a fracture callus. Less stiff external fixators similarly impose positive-locking between bone pins and an external fixation bar. Flexion of the considerably long fixation pins allows for controlled motion at the fracture site that may be of sufficient magnitude to induce fracture healing by callus formation. While positive-locking plate-screw constructs employ a similar fixation principle as an external fixator, the close proximity of the plate to the bone surface prohibits elastic flexion of the screw segment between the plate and the bone.